I'm not a huge fan of fruit leathers, but this turned out super good! And, really, you can't go wrong with blackberries, mint and rum.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Spatchcocking the turkey

Okay, so we aren't truly spatchcocking our turkey for Thanksgiving this year. I just can't help myself and must use this term. And, while we are "removing the backbone and sternum of the bird and flattening it out before cooking", we are really just, more or less, parting it out for brining, searing and braising. Just not so much on the flattening bit.

The last few years we haven't gotten around to ordering a local heritage turkey but have still managed to get an organic, heritage free-range turkey through our local co-op. The bird is not local, but it's close enough. And, I'm more interested in supporting a farm that raises heritage turkeys - that is, birds that can still procreate on their own - and then grow them with sustainability in mind.

What method of turkey cooking are you doing this year? That is, if you do turkey? Are you opting for a heritage breed?

6 comments:

I'm super grossed out both by the word "spatchcocking" and what it means, but I am grateful to you for your efforts to buy organic, (local or close to it) heirloom turkeys as opposed to buying a genetically grown factory farm turkey.

Our bird is locally grown on pasture by a farmer I count as a friend. Her farm is not certified organic, but she goes way beyond what would be required for certification. We opt for the standard BBW turkey, because we need a really big one for the family gathering, and paying a fair price for a heritage breed turkey of that size is just beyond what we can afford. (I know how long it takes heritage breeds to come up to size, having raised one myself last year.) As it is, our 20# turkey cost us $87.

I picked up the bird yesterday, brined it for about 24 hours, and it's now airing out in the fridge. On Thursday it'll be grilled with rosemary sprigs laid on the (real) charcoal as it cooks. This frees up the oven and actually cooks the bird faster. And honestly, we get the most tender, succulent, flavorful birds this way. I make the gravy from the separately roasted giblets since the grill doesn't provide pan drippings.

This year I will be a guest and not a host. So this year I decided to buy 2 turkeys to put in our freezer for just us. I didnt buy organic because it was 3x the price but I did buy local all natural veg. $1.99 a pound and I bought two 10 lb turkeys. Im pretty sure the hubs family didnt buy organic. They usually just buy the turkey breast and thats it. I made it loud and clear that I needed my dark meat. Who eats just the breast? I dunno but this girl needs some dark meat.

On a different note I hope hope everything goes well for your father. Sending the best healthy vibes his way and dont worry about all of you readers at this time. were here for you always. Take care of your family and yourself.

Only me and hubby this year, so just said no to the giant bird and went with a couple of pasture-raised cornish game hens instead. They were $.75 more per pound than the heritage turkey from my CSA but about $50 less total and I don't have to worry about using up all that turkey.